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Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Everyone has something to give

Everyone has something they can give to others. It may be
big, it may be small, but to the person who receives it…it may be HUGE.

We fly fishermen and fisherwomen all talk about how relaxing
and peaceful it is to stand out in the water, wave a noodlie stick called a
“fly rod” with brightly colored line and hope to land a just as brightly
colored rainbow trout or spawning bluegill. Whether it is the act of casting,
the sound of the water flowing over the rocks, or the sight of a mink as it
rambles up the bank, those experiences calm us all. Who cares if the fish bite?
That is just a bonus. What this experience really does is allow us to do is to
miraculously and momentarily forget the bills we owe, the leaking roof, and the
mounds of paperwork waiting for us at the office. While these issues may seem big to us, in the grand scheme of
things those bills and that paperwork are trivial. There are many people in
this world that are dealing with far more than you or I can ever imagine. Cancer, PTSD, or other health related
issues!

I am not smart person, nor am I rich person, but for the
last few years I have been able to take the one thing I do have and give it to
those that can use it much worse than I. What have I been giving? Time. For years
now I have volunteered for as a river guide for the Reel Recovery
(reelrecovery.org) and Reeling and Healing – Midwest (fishon.org) organizations
to help teach both men and women who are struggling with or recovering from
cancer how to fly fish. It is the most rewarding and humbling thing I have ever
done in my life. My bills and my paperwork are of absolutely no significance
compared to someone who is worrying about if the next chemo treatment will
eradicate their tumor.

Why am I rambling about all of this? I don’t want an
atta-boy or kudos for what I do. What is want is for anyone who reads this post
to sit back, think about what they have, and figure out how they can give their
gifts to someone else who could use it more. For us flyfishers it is
organizations like FISHON.ORG or ReelRecovery.org. There also other wonderful
groups out there like TROUTBUSTERS.org who conduct fundraisers and help raise
money to send not only cancer survivors, but also our American veterans to fly
fishing retreats sponsored by Project Healing Water. What ever you do…just get
active, get off your ass and spend some time and help as many people as you can.

Teaching the basics of a cast at the fall 2014 Reeling and Healing-Midwest retreat out at Westover Farms